Method for forming pattern of stacked film and thin film transistor

ABSTRACT

A method for forming a pattern of a stacked film, includes steps (a) to (e). The step (a) is forming sequentially a first base insulating film and a light shielding material on a transparent substrate. The step (b) is patterning the light shielding material to obtain a light shielding film with a first pattern. The step (c) is forming sequentially a second base insulating film, a semiconductor film and a first oxide film on a substrate. The step (d) is forming a resist pattern with a second pattern on the first oxide film. The step (e) is forming a pattern of a stacked film by dry etching the first oxide film and the semiconductor film, above the light shielding film. The stacked film includes the semiconductor film and the first oxide film. The dry etching includes an etching by using an etching gas and the resist pattern as a mask. The semiconductor film includes a taper angle which is controlled to be within predetermined range.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a Divisional application of U.S. patent Ser.No. 10/999,125, filed on Nov. 30, 2004, which was a continuation-in-partof U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/446,713 filed on May 29, 2003,(now U.S. Pat. No. 6,933,241), which is pending, the contents of whichare hereby incorporated by reference. This application relates to U.S.patent application Ser. No. 10/855,394 filed on May 28, 2004, which ispending, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a method for forming a pattern of astacked film and a thin film transistor, and more particularly, to amethod for forming a pattern of a stacked film composed of a polysiliconfilm and an upper oxide film and a thin film transistor having thestacked film.

2. Description of the Related Art

FIGS. 1A and 1B and FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate schematic views oftwo-layer structures, each of which is composed of a polysilicon filmand an upper oxide film for fabricating a conventional thin filmtransistor. FIG. 1A is a plan view of a two-layer structure, and FIG. 1Bis a cross-sectional view obtained by cutting the two-layer structure ofFIG. 1A along the line I-I. FIG. 2A is a plan view of a two-layerstructure, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view obtained by cutting thetwo-layer structure of FIG. 2A along the line II-II.

In each case, the lower oxide film (SiO2) 502 is deposited on the glasssubstrate 501 with a thickness of approximately 300 nm. Next, thesilicon film 503 and the upper oxide film 504, which configure thetwo-layer structure, are deposited on the lower oxide film 502 withthicknesses of 60 m and 10 nm, respectively. Subsequently, the siliconfilm 503 is crystallized by an excimer laser, thus forming a polysilicon(poly-Si) film.

Next, dry etching is conducted simultaneously for the silicon film 503and the upper oxide film 504, which configure the two-layer structure,followed by formation of the side face of the two-layer structure of thepolysilicon film 503 with the thickness of 60 nm and upper oxide film504 with the thickness of 10 nm at an angle of approximately 90°(vertical shape) with respect to the glass substrate.

The reason that the two-layer structure is composed of the polysiliconfilm and the upper oxide film is to protect the surface of thepolysilicon film, which is an active layer, and keep the same surfaceclean. In addition, the reason that the film thicknesses in thetwo-layer structure are set at 10 nm for the upper oxide film and 60 nmfor the polysilicon film is for thinning the film thickness of the upperoxide film as much as possible and facilitating the formation of thetwo-layer structure by dry etching. Detailed contents of this will bedescribed later in a section of a method for forming a two-layerstructure.

After the formation of the two-layer structure described above,high-concentration phosphorus ions are doped into the polysilicon filmin the two-layer structure, thus forming a source/drain (not shown).Subsequently, low-concentration phosphorus ions are doped, thus forminga lightly doped drain (LDD). Thereafter, the gate oxide film 505 isformed in a thickness of 45 nm, followed by deposition of a two-layerfilm formed of a micro-crystalline silicon (μc-Si) film 506 and the Crfilm 507. Then, the two-layer film is etched, thus forming the gateelectrode 521. As the gate electrode 521, the Cr film 507 made of ametal with a high melting point is used because of its outstandingability to resist heat, as well as its low electric resistance.Moreover, them μc-Si film 506, which has a specific work function, isused as an interlayer film because of its easiness in controllingthreshold values. For the high melting point metal utilized as a gatematerial, W, Mo, Ti, Ta or a silicide film of any of these can be usedas well as Cr. Thereafter, a heat treatment at a temperature of 350° C.or more is conducted, thus activating impurities contained in thepolysilicon film of the two-layer structure, into which the phosphorusis doped. Thus, the electric resistance of the polysilicon in theportion into which the phosphorus is doped is lowered.

After the steps described above, a protective oxide film (not shown) isfurther deposited in a thickness of 300 nm. Then, a contact tocommunicate with the polysilicon film in the activated two-layerstructure is opened in the protective oxide film and the gate oxidefilm, and Al wiring is formed thereon. Thus, a desired thin filmtransistor is obtained.

Next, a method for forming the foregoing two-layer structure will bedescribed with reference to cross-sectional views of FIGS. 3A to 3C.

As a method for etching the foregoing upper oxide film and polysiliconfilm, a gas containing CF4 and O2 is used, and the entire upper oxidefilm 604 and a part of the polysilicon film 603 are simultaneouslyetched by reactive ions, using the photoresist 608 as a mask. Theetching conditions in this case are set as:

Gas mixture ratio: CF₄:O₂=4:1

RF power: 700 W

In these etching conditions, the foregoing two-layer structure is etchedclose to vertically.

The residual polysilicon film is etched under the following etchingconditions by use of the gas containing CF4 and O2:

Gas mixture ratio: CF₄:O₂=4:1

RF power: 300 W

Specifically, the RF power in the above conditions is lowered than thatin the initial etching conditions. In this type of low RF powercondition, an etching rate for the polysilicon film 603 is higher thanthat for the lower oxide film 602. Thus, the etching for the lower oxidefilm is restricted to the minimum. However, in this case, the etchingrate for the upper oxide film on the polysilicon film 603 issimultaneously slowed. Hence, at the time when the etching for thepolysilicon film is completed, the polysilicon film is over-etched inthe lateral direction with respect to the upper and lower oxide films,and the upper oxide film 604 is formed into a shape overhanging thepolysilicon film 603.

In addition, after forming the two-layer structure, its surface iscleaned by a diluted hydrofluoric acid treatment for approximately 10seconds, followed by deposition of the gate oxide film. The overhang ofthe oxide film, which is formed by etching the polysilicon film, can beremoved by etching using the diluted hydrofluoric acid treatment becausethe film thickness of the upper oxide film is 10 nm. Because the etchingrate by the diluted hydrofluoric acid treatment is several nm/min, theportion of the oxide film, which hangs during the work of immersion ofthe substrate for 10 seconds and pull-up thereof, is removed by etchingfrom the upper and lower sides thereof. Hence, it is necessary to thinthe film thickness of the two-layer structure to 10 nm (60 nm for thepolysilicon film). If the film thickness of the upper oxide film isthickened more than 10 nm, then the time necessary for the dilutedhydrofluoric acid treatment, required for removing the overhang, must bemore than 10 seconds, and an excessive etching of the lower oxide filmoccurs on an interface between the polysilicon film and the lower oxidefilm.

In addition, if the polysilicon film is thickened to more than 60 nm,then variations in etching in the case of selectively removing thepolysilicon film by etching are increased, thus making it difficult tocontrol the dimension of the polysilicon film and to switch off the TFT.

As described above, if the conventional process is used, then theexcessive etching of the lower oxide film has hardly occurred under thepolysilicon film, and the two-layer structure has been formed such thatits side face can be close to vertical.

As shown in FIG. 2B which is the cross-sectional view obtained bycutting the plan view of FIG. 2A, the conventional two-layer structureis formed intoa shape in which the side faces of the upper oxide film504 and polysilicon film 503 are close to vertical with respect to thebase.

Hence, if the three-layer film formed of the gate oxide film 505, themicro-crystalline silicon film 506 for the gate electrode and the Crfilm 507 is deposited on the two-layer structure, the three-layer filmis thickened on the two-layer structure and the lower oxide filmexcluding the same on the two-layer structure, and thinned on thesidewall portion of the two-layer structure. This means that thethree-layer film does not sufficiently cover the sidewall step portionof the two-layer structure. As a result, a stress concentrates upon thethree-layer film located on the sidewall of the two-layer structure, andthe crack 515 occurs on the three-layer film. If the crack 515 exists onthe three-layer film, then there is a possibility that a short-circuitof the gate electrode will occur in the portion of the crack 515 whenthe impurities contained in the polysilicon film in the two-layerstructure are activated by use of a laser. Particularly, in the case ofcomposing the gate electrode from a high melting point metal of acolumnar structure, such as Cr, as in the present invention, thestructure is weak against stress, and the crack 515 is more prone tooccur.

In general, the surface of the polysilicon film configuring thetwo-layer structure is uneven, and its morphology is bad. Therefore, itis thought that the gate oxide film and the gate electrode on thetwo-layer structure are not evenly deposited and that the cracks becomeprone to occur on the thin portions of the gate oxide film and gateelectrode.

An important purpose of forming the thin film transistor on thetransparent substrate such as glass and quartz is to realize an opticaldevice of a transparent-type. An active matrix-type liquid crystaldisplay is the representative example which uses a thin film transistorsfor switches of pixels. The display has been used for a personalcomputer, a laptop computer, a cell phone, a mobile device such as a PDAand a flat panel-type TV. In these devices, the display is watched bynaked eyes directly. Also, a projector has been popular in which theliquid crystal display is incorporated into an extended projectionoptical system.

In case of the direct view-type display, a backlight is placed in theback of the display, and the display is viewed directly. In case ofusing the liquid crystal display (the liquid crystal light valve) forthe projector, strong light is irradiated to the liquid crystal displaycompared with the direct view-type display. For example, if theintensity of the light is calculated simply based on the area ratio, incase that a picture on an one-inch panel is extended to a screencorresponding to 100-inch display by the projector in order to obtainthe same brightness of a direct view-type display with 15-inch, thefollowing result is obtained. That is, at a unit area of the panel, thelight having the intensity to exceed by 2,000,000 times than that of thedirect view-type display is incident to the liquid crystal light valve.

In the active matrix-type liquid crystal display, one of the problemsrelated to light is leak current (light leak current) caused by thegeneration of electric carriers of the light excitation in response tolight reaching to the thin film transistors. The thin film transistor asa switch of the pixel is turned off after applying a writing voltage tothe pixel and must maintain the voltage until the following writing.However, the written voltage has declined when the light leak current islarge and brings about the decline of the contrast.

To restrain such a light leak current, a semiconductor layer(hereinafter also referred to as an island) which functions as theactivated layer of the thin film transistor doesn't directly form on thebase insulating film on the transparent substrate. After forming a lightshielding film on the base insulating film, the semiconductor layer isformed on another base insulating film. The light shielding film is madeof light shielding materials such as metallic materials. That is, thestructure is used in which the light shielding film blocks off lightfrom under the transparent substrate.

In conjunction with the above description, Japanese Laid Open PatentApplication (JP-A-Heisei 9-263974) discloses the following a method ofetching a Cr film. The etching method is the method for the Cr filmformed on the substrate. The method includes three processes. The firstprocess is to form a resist in a certain area on the Cr film. The secondprocess is to remove the Cr film in the area where the resist isn'tformed, by the wet etching. The third process is to remove proper amountof the resist and the exposed surface of the Cr film on which the resistis not left to make the section of the Cr film a taper, by the dryetching. In the dry etching, the mixed gas of chloric-group gas andoxygen may be used as etchant.

In the thin film transistor having the structure which has the lightshielding film under the island and using the same, the electricpotential of the light shielding film acts on the island. Thatinfluences the operation of the thin film transistor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a method offorming a pattern of a stacked film and a thin film transistor whichsuppress the influence that the electric potential of a light shieldingfilm affects to an operation of the thin film transistor, in the thinfilm transistor having a structure which has the light shielding filmunder an island of a semiconductor.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method offorming a pattern of a stacked film and a thin film transistor whichreduce operation malfunctions and display defects, and improvesproduction yield and reliability to reduce a cost.

Still another object of the present invention to provide, with regard toa stacked structure of a lower oxide film, a semiconductor film and anupper oxide film, a method for forming a pattern of a stacked filmcomposed of a semiconductor film and an upper oxide film, the pattern ofthe stacked film being capable of absorbing a physical stress on aninsulating film and wiring, which cover the pattern of the stacked film,and capable of preventing a crack of the insulating film and adisconnection.

This and other objects, features and advantages of the present inventionwill be readily ascertained by referring to the following descriptionand drawings.

In order to achieve an aspect of the present invention, the presentinvention provides a method for forming a pattern of a stacked film,including: (a) forming sequentially a first base insulating film and alight shielding material on a transparent substrate; (b) patterning thelight shielding material to obtain a light shielding film with a firstpattern; (c) forming sequentially a second base insulating film, asemiconductor film and a first oxide film on a substrate; (d) forming aresist pattern with a second pattern on the first oxide film; and (e)forming a pattern of a stacked film by dry etching the first oxide filmand the semiconductor film, above the light shielding film. The stackedfilm includes the semiconductor film and the first oxide film. The dryetching includes an etching by using an etching gas and the resistpattern as a mask. The semiconductor film includes a taper angle whichis controlled to be within predetermined range.

In the method for forming a pattern of a stacked film, the etching gasmay include a mixture gas of CF₄ and O₂

In the method for forming a pattern of a stacked film, an O₂ gas ratioof the etching gas may be smaller than that of a mixture gas whose gasratio of CF₄ and O₂ is 100:100.

In the method for forming a pattern of a stacked film, the step (e) mayinclude: (e1) forming the pattern of the stacked film such that thesemiconductor film includes the taper angle in the range from 40° to60°.

In the method for forming a pattern of a stacked film, a gas ratio ofCF₄ and O₂ of the etching gas may be in the range from 110:90 to 120:80.

In the method for forming a pattern of a stacked film, the gas ratio ofCF₄ and O₂ of the etching gas may be approximately 115:85.

In the method for forming a pattern of a stacked film, the step (c) mayinclude: (c1) forming an amorphous silicon film on the second baseinsulating film, and (c2) annealing the amorphous silicon film by alaser to obtain a polysilicon film as the semiconductor film.

In the method for forming a pattern of a stacked film, the step (c) mayinclude: (c3) forming an amorphous silicon film on the second baseinsulating film, (c4) forming the first oxide film on the amorphoussilicon film, and (c5) annealing the amorphous silicon film by a laserto obtain a polysilicon film as the semiconductor film.

The method for forming a pattern of a stacked film, may further include:(f) forming a gate insulating film on the pattern of the stacked filmand (g) forming wiring on the gate insulating film. The wiring crossingover the pattern of the stacked film.

In the method for forming a pattern of a stacked film, the wiring mayinclude a metal selected from a group consisting of Cr, W, Mo, Ti, Taand silicide films thereof.

In order to achieve another aspect of the present invention, the presentinvention provides a stacked film for thin film transistor, the stackedfilm including: a semiconductor film and a first oxide film. Thesemiconductor film is formed on a base insulating film and includes ataper angle in the range from 40° to 60°. The first oxide film is formedon the semiconductor film. The base insulating film is formed on atransparent substrate and includes a patterned light shielding film. Thesemiconductor film is formed above the patterned light shielding film.

In order to achieve still another aspect of the present invention, thepresent invention provides a thin film transistor including: a baseinsulating film and a stacked film. The base insulating film is formedon a transparent substrate and includes a patterned light shieldingfilm. The stacked film is formed on the base insulating film. Thestacked film includes: a semiconductor film and a first oxide film. Thesemiconductor film is formed on a base insulating film above thepatterned light shielding film and includes a taper angle in the rangefrom 40° to 60°. The first oxide film is formed on the semiconductorfilm.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a plan view showing a two-layer structure of a conventionalexample;

FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view along a line I-I of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 2A is a plan view showing the two-layer structure of theconventional example;

FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view along a line II-II of FIG. 2A;

FIGS. 3A to 3C are cross-sectional views showing a method for formingthe two-layer structure of the conventional example;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a thin filmtransistor of the embodiments according to the present invention;

FIGS. 5A, 5B and 5C are views showing a flow of the manufacturing methodof a thin film transistor of the embodiments;

FIGS. 6A and 6B are views showing the flow of the manufacturing methodof a thin film transistor of the embodiments, FIG. 6A is the plane viewand FIG. 6B is the cross-sectional view along a line I-I in FIG. 6A;

FIGS. 7A and 7B are views showing the flow of the manufacturing methodof a thin film transistor of the embodiments, FIG. 7A is the plane viewand FIG. 7B is the cross-sectional view along a line I-I in FIG. 7A;

FIGS. 8A, 8B and 8C are cross-sectional views showing the method forsetting the tapers of the upper oxide film and polysilicon film of theembodiments;

FIG. 9 is a graph showing a relation between the etching rates of filmsand the O₂ flow amounts in the reactive ion etching by the gascontaining CF₄ and O₂ of the embodiments;

FIG. 10 is a graph showing RF power dependencies of etching rates ofetching gases of the second embodiment;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a liquidcrystal light valve to which the third embodiment of the method forforming the pattern of the stacked film in the present invention and thethin film transistor are applied;

FIGS. 12A to 12D are cross-sectional views showing the method formanufacturing the liquid crystal light valve of the third embodiment;

FIGS. 13A to 13C are cross-sectional views showing the method formanufacturing the liquid crystal light valve of the third embodiment;

FIG. 14 is a graph showing the relation between the etching condition ofthe polysilicon film where the white point defect does not occur and thevoltage applied to the light shielding film of the third embodiment; and

FIG. 15 is a graph indicating the relation between the O₂ gas flowamount in etching the polysilicon film and the taper angle of thesection.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS First Embodiment

A first embodiment of a method for forming a pattern of a stacked filmand a thin film transistor according to the present invention will bedescribed below with reference to the attached drawings.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a thin filmtransistor of the embodiments. The thin film transistor is provided on aglass substrate 101. The thin film transistor includes a lower oxidefilm 102, a polysilicon film 103, an upper oxide film 104, a gate oxidefilm 105, a micro-crystalline silicon (μc-Si) film 106, Cr film 107, afirst interlayer oxide film 109, a second interlayer oxide film 112,contacts 113 and aluminum wirings 114.

The lower oxide film 102 is formed in a thickness of approximately 300nm on the glass substrate 101. The polysilicon film 103 and the upperoxide film 104, which configure a two-layer structure, are provided inthicknesses of 60 nm and 10 nm, respectively, on the lower oxide film102. Here, the polysilicon film 103 is firstly formed as an amorphoussilicon film. Then, the amorphous silicon film is crystallized by anexcimer laser to be the polysilicon film 103.

The polysilicon film 103 and the upper oxide film 104, which configurethe two-layer structure, are simultaneously dry etched. By this type ofsimultaneous etching for the two-layer structure, the tapers of theupper oxide film 104 and polysilicon film 103 with respect to the planeof the glass substrate 101 are set in ranges of: 45°<θ<60°; and10°≦γ≦60°, respectively.

The polysilicon film 103 has a source region 110 a, a drain region 110b, a channel region 130 and LDD regions 111 a and 111 b.High-concentration phosphorus ions are doped in the source region 110 aand the drain region 110 b. Low-concentration phosphorus ions are dopedin the LDD regions 111 a and 111 b.

The gate oxide film 105 is formed to cover the two-layer structure andthe lower oxide film 102. The gate oxide film 105 is, for example, asilicon dioxide film in a thickness of 45 nm. A two-layer film composedof the μc-Si film 106 and the Cr film 107 is formed as a gate electrodeon the gate oxide film 105. For the gate electrode, the Cr film 107 isused as a high melting point metal that is excellent at resisting heatand low in electric resistance. In addition, the μc-Si film 106 is usedas an interlayer material film between the gate oxide film 105 and theCr film 107 in order to optimize a work function of the gate electrodeand because of the ease with which it controls threshold values. For thehigh melting point metal utilized as the gate electrode material, W, Mo,Ti, Ta or a silicide film of any of these is used as well as Cr.

The first interlayer oxide film 109 is formed to cover the gate oxidefilm 105, the μc-Si film 106 and the Cr film 107. The first interlayeroxide film 109 is, for example, a silicon dioxide film in a thickness of100 nm. The second interlayer oxide film 112 is formed on the firstinterlayer oxide film 109. The second interlayer oxide film 112 is, forexample, a silicon dioxide film in a thickness of 300 nm. The contact113 is a wiring formed in a hole extended through the second interlayeroxide film 112, the first interlayer oxide film 109, the gate oxide film105 and the upper oxide film 104 to reach the source region 110 a or thedrain region 110 b. The contact 113 is, for example, made of aluminum.The aluminum wiring 114 is a wiring connected to the contact 113.

A manufacturing method of a thin film transistor in FIG. 4 will bedescribed with reference to the attached drawings. FIGS. 5A, 5B, 5C, 6A,6B, 7A, 7B, 8A, 8B and 8C are views showing a flow of the manufacturingmethod of a thin film transistor. Here, FIGS. 5A, 5B, 5C, 6B, 7B, 8A, 8Band 8C are cross-sectional views. FIGS. 6A and 7A are plane views withrespect to FIGS. 6B and 7B, respectively.

With reference to FIG. 5A, the lower oxide film 102 is deposited in athickness of approximately 300 nm on the glass substrate 101. A siliconfilm 103 a and an upper oxide film 104 a are deposited in thicknesses of60 nm and 10 nm, respectively, on the lower oxide film 102.

With reference to FIG. 5B, the silicon film 103 a is crystallized by anexcimer laser. The silicon film 103 a has been crystallized by theexcimer laser to be the polysilicon film. Next, the crystallized siliconfilm 103 a and the upper oxide film 104 a, which configure the two-layerstructure, are simultaneously dry etched (ex. a reactive ion etchingmethod) so as to obtain the polysilicon film 103 and the upper oxidefilm 104. The two-layer structure after the etching is also referred toas an island portion. By this type of simultaneous etching for thetwo-layer structure, the tapers of the upper oxide film 104 andpolysilicon film 103 with respect to the plane of the glass substrate101 are set in ranges of: 45°<θ<60°; and 10≦γ≦60°, respectively.

With reference to FIG. 5C, after forming the two-layer structure,high-concentration phosphorus ions are doped into the polysilicon film103 to form the source region 110 a and the drain region 110 b. Also,low-concentration phosphorus ions are doped into the polysilicon film103 to form the LDD regions 111 a and 111 b. Thereafter, the gate oxidefilm 105 is formed in a thickness of 45 nm to cover the two-layerstructure. The source region 110 a, the drain region 110 b, the LDDregions 111 a and 111 b are not shown in FIG. 5C.

With reference to FIGS. 6A, 6B, 7A and 7B, a two-layer film composed ofthe micro-crystalline silicon film 106 and the Cr film 107 is depositedand etched, thus forming a gate electrode with a desirable pattern. FIG.6A is the plane view and FIG. 6B is the cross-sectional view along theline I-I shown in FIG. 6A. FIG. 7A is the plane view and FIG. 7B is thecross-sectional view along the line II-II shown in FIG. 7A. In thetwo-layer structure of the island portion, the taper of the upper oxidefilm 104 with respect to the plane of the glass substrate 101 is set inrange of 45°<θ<60° by the etching shown in FIG. 5B. The taper of thepolysilicon film 103 with respect to the plane of the glass substrate101 is set in ranges of 10°<γ<60° by the etching shown in FIG. 5B.

Thereafter, the first interlayer oxide film 109 is deposited on the gateoxide film 105 and the gate electrode (106, 107) in a thickness of 100nm. After that, a heat treatment at a temperature equal to or more than350° C. is carried out to activate impurities in the phosphorus-dopedpolysilicon film 103, thus lowering the electric resistance of thepolysilicon film 103.

Following the steps described above, the second interlayer oxide film112 is further deposited in a thickness of 300 nm on the firstinterlayer oxide film 109. Subsequently, the second interlayer oxidefilm 112, the first interlayer oxide film 109, the gate oxide film 105and the upper oxide film 104 are opened to form the contact 113. Then,the aluminum wiring 114 is provided. The contact 113 is connected withthe aluminum wiring 114. In this way, a desired thin film transistor ismanufactured as shown in FIG. 4.

Next, a method for setting the tapers of the upper oxide film andpolysilicon film of the two-layer structure applied to the manufacturingmethod of the thin film transistor will be described with reference toattached drawings. This method can etch the upper oxide film andpolysilicon film in the ranges of: 45°<θ<60°; and 10°<γ<60°,respectively, with respect to the plane (surface) of the glasssubstrate.

FIGS. 8A, 8B and 8C are cross-sectional views showing the method forsetting the tapers of the upper oxide film and polysilicon film. Theprocesses of FIGS. 8A, 8B and 8C are included in the process of in FIG.5B.

Firstly, with reference to FIG. 8A, the pattern of the photoresist 208is formed on the upper oxide film 204. Subsequently, with reference toFIG. 8B, reactive ion etching is conducted on the upper oxide film 204and the polysilicon film 203 by a gas containing CF₄ and O₂, using thephotoresist 208 as an etching mask. The gas flow amount ratio of CF₄ andO₂ during this etching is set at 1:1, thus tapering the side face of thetwo-layer structure of the upper oxide film 204 and polysilicon film 203in the range of 45°<θ<60°. Note that, beside the gas containing CF₄ andO₂, a gas containing a fluorine-based gas such as CHF₃ and SF₆, and O₂may be used.

Next, with reference to FIG. 8C, the etching gas is switched to a gascontaining Cl₂ and O₂ at the time when the polysilicon film 203 isetched and the lower oxide film 202 is exposed. The etching rate of thegas containing Cl₂ and O₂ for a polysilicon film is higher than that foran oxide film. Therefore, it can be possible to restrict the etching ofthe lower oxide film 202 to the minimum. In addition, by setting the gasflow amount ratio of Cl₂ and O₂ at 1:1, the side face of the polysiliconfilm 203 can be further slanted. In this case, the deposition reactionproduct 214 is created on the sidewall of the resist 208 and thesidewall of the two-layer structure of the upper oxide film 204 and thepolysilicon film 203. Therefore, the side etching of the polysiliconfilm 203 is prevented. Hence, the taper of the two-layer structure ofthe upper oxide film 204 and the polysilicon film 203, which is formedby use of the gas containing the CF₄ and O₂ in the gas flow amount ratioof 1:1, can be maintained. Simultaneously, the polysilicon film 203remaining on the lower oxide film 202 due to etching variations isremoved by the gas containing Cl₂ and O₂. Particularly, the taper angleof the polysilicon film 203 on the interface with the lower oxide film202 ranges as: 10°<γ<60° due to the etching variations in the glasssubstrate.

As described above, if the method for manufacturing a thin filmtransistor according to the first embodiment of the present invention isused, the taper angle of the side face of the two-layer structure can bereduced to 45°. Hence, with reference to FIG. 7B, the three-layer filmcomposed of the gate oxide film 105, the μc-Si film 106 and the Cr film107 can be thickened on the sidewall step portion of the two-layerstructure. Hence, the concentration of the stress on the oxide film 105and the gate electrode (μc-Si film 106 and Cr film 107) in the sidewallportion of the two-layer structure is absorbed, and thus thedisconnection of the gate electrode does not occur even if the thin filmtransistor is subjected to a heat treatment in a later step.

Next, a method for controlling the taper angles of the upper oxide filmand the polysilicon film using simultaneous etching in the method formanufacturing a thin film transistor device in accordance with the firstembodiment of the present invention will be described below.

FIG. 9 is a graph showing a relation between the etching rates of filmsand the O₂ flow amounts in the reactive ion etching by the gascontaining CF₄ and O₂. The vertical axis indicates the etching rate. Thehorizontal axis indicates the gas flow amount (ratio) of O₂. Thetriangles indicate etching rates of the resist films. The circlesindicate etching rates of the polysilicon films. The squares indicateetching rates of the oxide films. The etching conditions are: total gasflow amount 200 sccm; gas pressure 20 Pa; and RF power 300 W.

When the gas flow amount ratio of CF₄ and O₂ Of the etching gas is 4:1,the etching rate of the oxide film is approximately 17 nm/min., and theetching rate of the polysilicon film is approximately 50 nm/min. Theetching rate of the polysilicon film is approximately three times thatof the oxide film. For this, when the gas flow amount (ratio) of O₂ isincreased, the etching rate of the oxide film is slightly increasedwhile the etching rate of the polysilicon film is decreased.Specifically, when the gas flow amount ratio of CF₄:O₂ is 1:1, theetching rate of the oxide film becomes approximately 22 nm/min. Theetching rate of the polysilicon film becomes approximately 25 nm/min.Both of which become approximately equal with each other. As a result ofthis etching operation, the upper oxide film stops protruding withrespect to the polysilicon film, and the side face of the two-layerstructure becomes smooth along the interface between the upper oxidefilm and the polysilicon film.

When the gas flow amount ratio of CF₄ and O₂ is 4:1, the etching rate ofthe resist is 75 nm/min. When the gas flow amount (ratio) of O₂ isincreased, the etching rate of the resist is increased. When the gasflow amount ratio of CF₄ and O₂ is 1:1, the etching rate of the resistbecomes 140 nm/min, which is approximately twice that in the case of thegas flow amount ratio of 4:1. Thus, the etching of the side face of theresist advances because the etching rate of the resist is increased ascompared with those of the oxide film and polysilicon film. Thus, theetched surface of the resist is set back with respect to the otheretched films. The reason that the etching rate of the resist isincreased following the increase of the gas flow amount (ratio) of theO₂ is as follows.

Specifically, the composition of the resist is a chemical composition ofphenol novolak resin in which CH₂, CH₃ and OH groups are bonded to abenzene ring. In this composition, oxygen radicals in O₂ plasma attackthe CH₂ and CH₃ groups to dissociate bonds thereof. Thus, the etchingrate of the resist film is increased. By the etching operation describedabove, the oxide film and the polysilicon film are uniformly etchedwhile the resist film is being set back in the lateral direction. Insuch a way, the side face of the two-layer structure of the upper oxidefilm and the polysilicon film can be formed into the gentle taper shapein which the taper angle ranges as: 45°<θ<60° with respect to the planeof the glass substrate.

Although the example of using the gas containing CF₄ and O₂ has beendescribed in this embodiment, a fluorine-based gas such as CHF₃ and SF₆may be used in place of CF₄. Also in this case, when the gas flow amount(ratio) of O₂ is increased in a similar way to that of this embodiment,the etching rate of the polysilicon film is decreased, the etching rateof the oxide film is increased.

However, the relationship between the gas flow amount (ratio) of the O₂content and the taper angle of the side face of the two-layer structurediffers depending on the type of the fluorine-based gases.

Next, the etching operation in the event of switching the etching gasfrom the gas containing CF₄ and O₂ to the gas containing Cl₂ and O₂ willbe described. The etching conditions are:

Total gas flow amount: 400 sccm;

Gas flow amount ratio: Cl₂:O₂=1:1;

Gas pressure: 40 Pa; and

RF power: 400 W

In the etching by the gas containing Cl₂ and O₂, the etching rate of thepolysilicon film to the oxide film is as large as approximately 10.Therefore, the etching of the lower oxide film can be restricted to theminimum. In addition, in the etching by the gas containing Cl₂ and O₂ inthe gas flow amount ratio of 1:1, the resist on the polysilicon film isset back in a similar way to that of the etching by the gas containingCF₄ and O₂ in the gas flow amount ratio of 1:1. The side face of thepolysilicon film is tapered with a low angle. Simultaneously, SiClxOythat is the reaction product of the etching is deposited. Therefore,facilitating the formation of the sidewall of the reaction product onthe two-layer structure. Hence, the side face of the polysilicon film istapered, and the side etching of the two-layer structure is prevented.Moreover, the etching amount of the lower oxide film can be restrictedto the minimum while maintaining the taper added to the side face of thetwo-layer structure.

Timing when the polysilicon film is etched and the lower oxide film isexposed in the foregoing operation will be described below. Thepolysilicon film is etched fast in an outer region of the glasssubstrate because the etching advances fast there. Hence, at the timewhen the lower oxide film in this region is exposed, the etching of thepolysilicon film is not yet completed in an inner region of the glasssubstrate, where the etching advances slowly. Even if the etching gas isswitched to the gas containing Cl₂ and O₂ at that time, the resist iscontinuously set back in a similar way to the previous etching by thegas containing CF₄ and O₂ in the inner region. Simultaneously, theetching product is deposited on the side face of the two-layer structureof the already etched upper oxide film and the polysilicon film.Specifically, in the region where the etching of the polysilicon filmadvances in the film-thickness direction, etching by the accelerated ioncomponents of the etching gas is conducted. In addition, the etchingproduct is deposited on the etched side face of the polysilicon film inthe region where the polysilicon film is already etched in thefilm-thickness direction, and the side etching by the radical componentsof the etching gas is prevented. Moreover, in the etching by the gascontaining Cl₂ and O₂, it is considered that the taper angle, which isset in the range of 45°<θ<60° on the side face of the polysilicon filmformed under the previous etching conditions by CF₄ and O₂, is furtherreduced by the etching product deposited on the side face of thepolysilicon film. The reason is as follows. In the etching by the gascontaining Cl₂ and O₂, the etching product is uniformly deposited onalmost the entire surface, and simultaneously, the deposition on thesurface to be etched is etched by the incidence of the reactive ions.Then, when the object to be etched is exposed, the etching advances.However, the vertically incident ions cannot remove the depositionentirely because the resist and the etching product of the sidewallportion of the two-layer structure are thick, and the etching productremains on the sidewall. Hence, the width of the two-layer structure isexpanded as the etching advances in the film thickness direction due tothe existence of the etching product. In such a way, the etching productis deposited on the side face of the polysilicon film, and the width ofthe two-layer structure is expanded from the bottom as the etchingadvances, thus forming the taper.

As described above, it is considered that, in the side face of thetwo-layer structure tapered in the angle ranging as: 45°<θ<60°, thetaper angle is further reduced by use of the gas in which the gas flowamount ratio of Cl₂ and O₂ is 1:1. Hence, in the outer region of thesubstrate, where the etching advances fast, the taper in the range of:45°<θ<60°, which is formed under the previous etching conditions of CF₄and O₂, is maintained by the deposition of the etching product on thesidewall. In the inner region of the substrate, where the etchingadvances slowly, the polysilicon film on the interface portion betweenthe polysilicon film and the lower oxide film, that is, the polysiliconfilm etched by the gas containing Cl₂ and O₂, reduces its taper anglemore than the taper angle in the range of: 45°<θ<60°, which is formed bythe previous etching by the gas containing CF₄ and O₂. The taper angleof the polysilicon film in the concerned portion is reduced toapproximately 10°. Hence, the taper angle of the polysilicon filmbecomes an angle ranging as 10<γ<60° in the entire substrate due to thedistributions as to how the etching advances in the glass substrate.

Next, as to how the pattern precision of the two-layer structure of theupper oxide film and the polysilicon film is changed in the case oftapering the same by the reactive ion etching will be described below.

The etching rate for the resist under the reactive ion etchingconditions in which the gas flow amount ratio of CF₄ and O₂ is 1:1indicates the etching rate of the etching in the vertical direction. Itis assumed that the etching rate in the lateral direction isapproximately two thirds that in the vertical direction, and that thetwo-layer structure is entirely etched under the etching conditionswhere the gas flow amount ratio of CF₄ and O₂ is 1:1. The setback amountof the resist in the lateral direction in this case is estimated to beapproximately 0.27 μm based on the calculation of the etching rates forthe respective films. Hence, the deviation, from a design value, of thevalue in the case of vertically etching the two-layer structure is 0.27μm.

Next, assuming that the taper angle of the side face of the two-layerstructure when etching the two-layer structure is 600, then thedeviation of the value in this case from the design value is estimatedto be approximately 0.23 μm.

Hence, the two-layer structure is formed into the taper shape of 60° orless by the reactive ion etching, thus making it possible to control thedeviation from the design value within 0.23 μm.

Although the gas flow amount ratio of CF₄ and O₂ in the presentinvention is set at 1:1, the taper angle of the two-layer structure canbe further reduced if the gas flow amount (ratio) of O₂ is furtherincreased. However in this case, the etching rate for the polysilicon isreduced to greatly increase the etching time. Thus, the dimensionalprecision of the two-layer structure is deteriorated. Hence, 1:1 isthought to be reasonable for the gas flow amount ratio of CF₄ and O₂.

With regard to the film thicknesses of the films of the two-layerstructure, it is desirable to set the thickness of the upper oxide filmequal to 10 nm and the thickness of the polysilicon film equal to 60 nm.This is because the variations due to the etching are increased in thecase of etching the upper oxide film and the polysilicon film whenthickening the upper oxide film more than 10 nm and the polysilicon filmmore than 60 nm. The two-layer structure formed in this state isdeteriorated in dimensional precision, leading to the deterioration ofthe OFF characteristics of the TFT.

As mentioned above, in accordance with the contents of the presentinvention, in the two-layer film of the two-layer structure portion, thetaper angle of the upper oxide film of the island portion is controlledin the range of: 45<θ<60°, and the taper angle of the polysilicon layerthereof is controlled in the range of 10°<γ<60°. Thus, the step coveragefor the gate oxide film and the Cr/μc-Si stacked film after theformation of the two-layer structure is enhanced. Moreover, thedisconnection of the gate electrode can be prevented in a portion wherethe gate electrode crosses over the two-layer structure. In addition,the lower oxide film of the two-layer structure is made not to be etchedas much as possible, thus reducing the excessive etching and sideetching of the lower oxide film of the two-layer structure. Thus, thecoverage defect of the gate oxide film and the disconnection of the gateelectrode can be prevented.

Meanwhile, the two-layer structure of the lower oxide film/polysiliconfilm in the present invention is tapered, thus making it possible toprevent the occurrence of the crack in the gate electrode which crossesover the two-layer structure.

Second Embodiment

Next, a second embodiment of the method for forming a pattern of astacked film of the present invention will be described. In the secondembodiment, the etching time for the reactive ion etching by the gascontaining CF₄ and O₂ when forming the two-layer structure is shortened.

FIG. 10 is a graph showing RF power dependencies of etching rates, forrespective films, of etching gases for use in the second embodiment.Similarly to the first embodiment, the upper oxide film and thepolysilicon film undergo the reactive ion etching by the gas series ofCF₄ and O₂ by use of the photoresist as an etching mask until the loweroxide film is exposed.

In this case, in the second embodiment, the etching conditions are setas:

Gas flow amount ratio of CF₄ and O₂:1:1;

Total gas flow amount: 200 sccm;

Gas pressure: 20 Pa; and

RF power: 300 W and 500 W

When the RF power is increased from 300 W to 500 W, though the etchingrate for the polysilicon film is approximately doubled (40 nm/min), itsselective etching ratio comparing with the lower oxide film is hardlychanged (=approximately 1), and its selective etching ratio comparingwith the photoresist is hardly changed (=approximately 6), either.Therefore, the etching time can be shortened while maintaining the taperangle of the upper oxide film of the two-layer structure in the rangeof: 45°<θ<60° and the taper angle of the polysilicon layer thereof inthe rage of: 10°<γ<60°, thus making it possible to enhance theprocessing capability of the apparatus. Moreover, when the etching rateis increased, a ratio of a change in intensity of plasma emission foruse in detecting the end point of the etching is increased, andtherefore, a definite detection for the endpoint can be performed.

From the point of time when the lower oxide film is exposed, the etchinggas is switched to the gas containing Cl₂ and O₂. Thus, the etchingamount of the lower oxide film can be minimized, and the side etching ofthe polysilicon film can also be restricted. Accordingly, the taper ofthe two-layer structure processed by the gas series of CF₄ and O₂ can bemaintained. Hence, the step coverage of the gate insulating film andgate electrode, which cross over the two-layer structure after theformation thereof is enhanced, thus making it possible to prevent thegate electrode from being disconnected.

As described above, according to the method for forming a pattern of astacked film, the first oxide film, the semiconductor film and thesecond oxide film are sequentially deposited on the substrate, and thesemiconductor film is laser annealed. Thereafter, the resist pattern isformed on the second oxide film, and by use of the resist pattern as amask, the second oxide film and the semiconductor film are dry etched toform the pattern of the stacked film (two-layer structure) composed ofthe semiconductor film and the second oxide film. At this time, thefluorine-based gas is used as the dry etching gas for the second oxidefilm and the semiconductor film, and the etching gas is switched fromthe fluorine-based gas to the chlorine-based gas at the point of timewhen the first oxide film is exposed. The mixed gas of CF₄ and O₂ isused as the fluorine-based gas, and suitably, the gas flow amount ratioof CF₄ and O₂ in the mixed gas is set at 1:1, thus conducting the dryetching therefor. In such a way, the taper angle of the second oxidefilm of the pattern of the stacked film can be made larger than thetaper angle of the semiconductor film thereof. Specifically, the taperangles of the second oxide film and semiconductor film can be controlledinto the ranges of: 45°<θ<60° and 10°<γ<60°, respectively. Hence, thestep disconnection of the wiring that crosses over this pattern of thestacked film can be prevented.

Third Embodiment

The third embodiment in the method for forming the pattern of thestacked film and the thin film transistor of the present invention willbe described below.

At first, the configuration of the third embodiment of the method forforming the pattern of the stacked film and the thin film transistor inthe present invention is explained. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional viewshowing the configuration of a liquid crystal light valve to which thethird embodiment of the present invention are applied. The liquidcrystal light valve 700 includes a TFT array substrate 770, an oppositesubstrate 771 and a liquid crystal 780.

The TFT array substrate 770 has a plurality of thin film transistorsarrayed like a matrix and a plurality of pixel electrodes that areturned on and off by the thin film transistors. The opposite substrate771 has the common opposite electrode opposite to the plurality of pixelelectrodes of the TFT array substrate 770. The liquid crystal 780 is putand held between the TFT array substrate 770 and the opposite substrate771. Here, as FIG. 11 is the cross-sectional view to explain the conceptof the light shielding of the liquid crystal light valve 700, a part ofconfiguration is omitted. The relations among the films, such as adimensional relation of film thickness, are different from the actualrelations.

In the above-mentioned first and second embodiments, the presentinvention is applied to the thin film transistor formed on theinsulating film on the glass substrate. However, in this embodiment, theliquid crystal light valve 700 further having a conductive layer in thelower layer of the thin film transistor is explained as an example.Here, the conductive layer is formed in the lower layer of the thin filmtransistor, in order to satisfy the property necessary for the thin filmtransistor, depending on the device to which the thin film transistor isapplied.

The TFT array substrate 770 is composed of a transparent substrate 701,a first base insulating film 721, a light shielding film 720, a secondbase insulating film 722, a polysilicon film 730, a silicon oxide film704, a gate insulating film 705, a gate line 707, a first interlayerinsulating film 708, a data line 724, a second interlayer insulatingfilm 709, a flattening film 706, and a pixel electrode 712.

The transparent substrate 701 is made of the material that has theinsulating property such as glass and transmits the light.

The first base insulating film 721 is formed so as to cover the surfaceof the transparent substrate 701. The first base insulating film 721 isformed by using the method such as the CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition)method. The first base insulating film 721 protects the diffusion of theheavy metal included in the transparent substrate 701. Here, The firstbase insulating film 721 is the silicon oxide film having a filmthickness of 300 nm.

The light shielding film 720 is formed correspondingly to the positionwhere the thin film transistor on the first base insulating film 721 isformed. The light shielding film 720 is conductive, and formed bypatterning the film formed by the method such as the sputtering method.The light shielding film 720 enables the property of the thin filmtransistor to be improved. Here, the light shielding film 720 is thetungsten silicide film having a film thickness of 175 mm. The lightshielding film 720 may have the two-layer structure composed of thetungsten silicide film and an amorphous silicon film stacked thereon.The light shielding film 720 may have the three-layer structure composedof the tungsten silicide film and the amorphous silicon film stackedthrough the silicon oxide film thereon. The configuration of the lightshielding film 720 is selected from above-mentioned structure, based onthe required performance.

The second base insulating film 722 is formed so as to cover the firstbase insulating film 721 and the light shielding film 720. The secondbase insulating film 722 is formed by using the method such as the CVDmethod. The second base insulating film 722 insulates the lightshielding film 720 from the thin film transistor. Here, the second baseinsulating film 722 is the silicon oxide film having a film thickness of250 nm. However, the film thickness of the second base insulating film722 defines the distance between the light shielding film 720 and thepolysilicon film 730 of the thin film transistor. For this reason, it isimportant to determine the film thickness of the second base insulatingfilm 722 to obtain the desirable light shielding property. Thus, thefilm thickness of the second base insulating film 722 is preferablyselected in the range between 100 nm and 500 nm, depending on thedesired performance of the thin film transistor. Further preferably, thefilm thickness is selected in the range between 150 nm and 300 nm.

The polysilicon film 730 is formed correspondingly to the position wherethe light shielding film 720 on the second base insulating film 722 isformed. The polysilicon film 730 is formed such that the amorphoussilicon film is crystallized by using the method such as the laserannealing method and then patterning it. Here, the amorphous siliconfilm is formed by the method such as an LPCVD (Low Pressure CVD) methodor a PCVD (Plasma Enhanced CVD) method. The polysilicon film 730functions as the active layer of the thin film transistor. Here, thepolysilicon film 730 has the film thickness of 60 nm.

The polysilicon film 730 includes a source region 731 a, a drain region731 b, LDD (Lightly Doped Drain) regions 732 a, 732 b, and a channelregion 733. In the source region 731 a and the drain region 731 b,impurities are doped at high concentrations. In the LDD regions 732 a,732 b, impurities are doped at low concentrations. In the channel region733, impurities are not doped.

The silicon oxide film 704 is insulative and formed on the polysiliconfilm 730. The silicon oxide film 704 is formed after the amorphoussilicon film, by using the method such as the CVD method. After theamorphous silicon film is crystallized, the silicon oxide film 704 ispatterned together with the polysilicon film. The silicon oxide film 704protects the surface of the polysilicon film 730. Here, the siliconoxide film 704 has the film thickness of 10 nm.

Here, due to the patterning of the polysilicon film 730 and the siliconoxide film 704, the taper angles of the sectional shape of the end ofthe polysilicon film 730 and the silicon oxide film 704 are in the rangefrom 40° to 60°. FIG. 11 shows only one cross section. However, thetaper angles are formed on the entire periphery of the polysilicon film730 and the silicon oxide film 704.

The gate insulating film 705 is formed so as to cover the second baseinsulating film 722, the polysilicon film 730 and the silicon oxide film704. The gate insulating film 705 is formed by using the method such asthe CVD method. The gate insulating film 705 is the gate insulating filmof the thin film transistor. Here, the gate insulating film 705 is thesilicon oxide film having a film thickness of 90 nm.

Here, the laser annealing is performed on the stacked film of theamorphous silicon film and the silicon oxide film (704), and the siliconoxide film 704 is used in its original state as a part of the gateinsulating film. However, it may be possible to directly perform thelaser annealing on the amorphous silicon film and form the gateinsulating film 705 without forming the silicon oxide film 704. In thiscase, it is possible to delete the step of forming the silicon oxidefilm 704. It may be also possible to perform the laser annealing on thestacked film of the amorphous silicon film and the silicon oxide film(704) and once removing the silicon oxide film 704 by a wet etching andthen form the gate insulating film 705. In this case, the usage of thesilicon oxide film 704 affected by the laser annealing is unnecessary.In any case, the film thickness of the gate insulating film 705 isassumed to be 100 nm.

The gate line 707 is formed correspondingly to the channel region 733 soas to cross over the polysilicon film 730 on the gate insulating film705. The gate line 707 is conductive, and is formed by patterning theconductive film formed by the method such as the CVD method and thesputtering method. The gate line 707 supplies a signal for turning onand off (selecting) the thin film transistor. Here, the gate line 707has the two-layer structure having the polysilicon film and the tungstensilicide film. The polysilicon film has a film thickness of 100 nm whereimpurities are doped. The tungsten silicide film has a film thickness of150 nm stacked on the polysilicon film.

The first interlayer insulating film 708 is formed so as to cover thegate insulating film 705 and the gate line 707. The first interlayerinsulating film 708 is formed by the method such as the CVD method. Thefirst interlayer insulating film 708 insulates the gate line 707 fromthe data line 724. Here, the first interlayer insulating film 708 is thesilicon oxide film having a film thickness of 400 nm.

The data line 724 is conductive and formed so as to be electricallyconnected to the source region 731 a of the polysilicon film 730, on thefirst interlayer insulating film 708. The data line 724 is formed byusing, for example, a following method. Firstly, the first interlayerinsulating film 708, the gate insulating film 705 and the silicon oxidefilm 704 above the source region 731 a are selectively removed so as toform a contact hole 713. Then, the conductive film is formed by themethod such as the sputtering method so as to embed the contact hole 713and cover the first interlayer insulating film 708. After that, theconductive film is patterned to be the data line 724. Through the dataline 724, a data signal is sent to the thin film transistor. Here, thedata line 724 is the aluminum film having a film thickness of 400 nm.

The second interlayer insulating film 709 is formed so as to cover thefirst interlayer insulating film 708 and the data line 724. For example,it is formed by the method such as the CVD method. The second interlayerinsulating film 709 insulates the data line 724 from the pixel electrode712. Here, the second interlayer insulating film 709 is the siliconoxide film having a film thickness of 400 nm.

The flattening film 706 is insulative and formed so as to cover thesecond interlayer insulating film 709. For example, the flattening film706 is formed by coating an organic coating film by using the spincoating method and heating and curing. The concave and convex portionson the surface of the second interlayer insulating film 709 are madesmooth. Here, the flattening film 706 is the organic film.

The pixel electrode 712 is conductive and formed on the flattening film706 so as to be electrically connected to the drain region 731 b of thepolysilicon film 730. The pixel electrode 712 is formed by using, forexample, a following method. Firstly, the silicon oxide film 704, thegate insulating film 705, the first interlayer insulating film 708, thesecond interlayer insulating film 709 and the flattening film 706 abovethe drain region 731 b are selectively removed so as to form a contacthole 714. Then, the conductive film is formed by the method such as thesputtering method so as to cover the side of the contact hole 714 andthe flattening film 706. After that, the conductive film is patterned tobe the pixel electrode 712. When the thin film transistor is turned on,through the thin film transistor, the data signal is sent to the pixelelectrode 712. Here, the pixel electrode 712 is an ITO (Indium TinOxide) film having a film thickness of 100 nm.

Here, the flattening film 706 made of the organic coating film is formedon the second interlayer insulating film 709, and the concave and convexportions are made smooth. Then, the ITO film is formed which becomes thepixel electrode 712. However, the flattening method is not limitedthereto. CMP (Chemical Mechanical Polishing) method may be used.

In this case, the precision in flatness is improved. Also, without anyutilization of the flattening method, the ITO film may be formeddirectly on the second interlayer insulating film 709. In this case, thestep of forming the flattening film 706 can be eliminated. Therespective methods may be selected on the basis of the desired property.

Also, a black matrix may be made of light shielding film, on the secondinterlayer insulating film 709. In this case, the upper structure (theITO film and the like) may be further formed on the interlayerinsulating film. The combination with the flattening method is alsopossible.

The opposite substrate 771 has a transparent substrate 750, a blackmatrix 751 and an opposite electrode 752.

The transparent substrate 750 is made of the material that has theinsulating property such as glass and transmits the light.

The black matrix 751 is formed in the shape of a square, on thetransparent substrate 750. The black matrix 751 is the film having thelight shielding property. The black matrix 751 is formed by the methodsuch as the sputtering method.

The opposite electrode 752 is generated common to all pixels of the TFTarray substrate 770, at the position opposite to the pixel electrode712. The opposite electrode 752 is conductive and is kept at a constantpotential. The opposite electrode 752 is generated by patterning thefilm formed by the method such as the sputtering method.

The liquid crystal 780 is put and held between the TFT array substrate770 and the opposite substrate 771. Correspondingly to the values of thevoltages applied to the pixel electrode 712 and the opposite electrode752, the arrangement of molecules is changed, and the gradation iscontrolled on the basis of its degree.

The method for manufacturing the liquid crystal light valve 700 in FIG.11 will be described below. FIGS. 11 to 13C are cross-sectional viewsshowing the method for manufacturing the liquid crystal light valve 700.To the liquid crystal light valve 700, the third embodiment of thepresent invention are applied. The manufacturing method as describedhere is one example of the embodiment of the present invention, and thedimensions of the film thicknesses, the structure, the procedure and thelike except those with regard to the basic property of the presentinvention do not limit the present invention.

At first, with reference to FIG. 12A, the silicon oxide film having athickness of 300 nm as the first base insulating film 721 is depositedso as to cover the entire surface of the transparent substrate 701 byusing the typical CVD method. Next, the tungsten silicide film 720 ahaving a thickness of 175 nm is formed so as to cover the first baseinsulating film 721 by using the sputtering method.

In succession, with reference to FIG. 12B, the typical photolithographytechnique and etching technique are used to pattern the tungstensilicide film 720 a and consequently form the light shielding film 720.

After that, with reference to FIG. 12C, by using the CVD method, thesilicon oxide film having a thickness of 250 nm as the second baseinsulating film 722 is deposited so as to cover the light shielding film720 and the first base insulating film 721. Next, by using the LPCVDmethod, the amorphous silicon film 730 a having a thickness of 60 nm isdeposited so as to cover the second base insulating film 722. Insuccession, the CVD method is used to deposit the silicon oxide film 704a having a thickness of 10 nm. After that, the amorphous silicon film730 a is crystallized by using the laser annealing method.

Next, with reference to FIG. 12D, the silicon oxide film 704 and thecrystallized silicon film are patterned by the photolithographytechnique and the etching technique. In this way, the plurality of setsof the polysilicon film 730 and silicon oxide film 704 which function asthe active layers of the thin film transistors are formed.

Here, as the etching condition, the mixture gas of CF₄ and O₂ is used asan etching gas. The total gas flow amount of CF₄ and O₂ is controlled to200 sccm. The gas pressure is controlled to 20 Pa. Then, the RF powerdensity is assumed to be 0.3 W/cm². The gas flow amount ratio of CF₄ andO₂ is assumed to be 115:85. Consequently, the portion where the taperangle of the sectional shape of the polysilicon film 730 is less than40° can be substantially removed. Then, the taper angle can be set atthe range from 40° and 60°.

Next, with reference to FIG. 13A, by using the CVD method, the siliconoxide film having a thickness of 90 nm as the gate insulating film 705is deposited so as to cover the second base insulating film 722, thepolysilicon film 730 and the silicon oxide film 704.

In succession, with reference to FIG. 13B, by using the CVD method, thepolysilicon film (not shown) having a thickness of 100 nm is depositedwhere impurities are doped, so as to cover the gate insulating film 705.Moreover, by using the sputtering method, the tungsten silicide film(not shown) having a thickness of 150 nm is formed so as to cover thepolysilicon film. After that, their films are patterned by thephotolithography technique and the etching technique. Then, a pluralityof gate lines 707, each of which crosses over each of a plurality of thepolysilicon films 730, are formed.

In succession, with reference to FIG. 13C, the dopant ions of a lowconcentration are selectively implanted into the predetermined positionsof the polysilicon film 730 by an ion implantation method. Here, thegate line 707 is used as a mask. The predetermined positions are theportions serving as the source region 731 a, the LDD regions 732 a, 732b and the drain region 731 b. Moreover, with the patterned photo resistfilm (not shown) as the mask, the dopant ions of a high concentrationare selectively implanted into the predetermined positions of thepolysilicon film 730. The predetermined positions are the portionsserving as the source region 731 a and the drain region 731 b. In thisway, the source region 731 a, the LDD regions 732 a, 732 b, the channelregion 733 and the drain region 731 b are formed in the polysilicon film730.

Next, by using the CVD method, the silicon oxide film having a thicknessof 400 nm as the first interlayer insulating film 708 is formed so as tocover the gate line 707 and the gate insulating film 705. After that,the photolithography technique and the etching technique are used toselectively remove the first interlayer insulating film 708, the gateinsulating film 705 and the silicon oxide film 704 for forming thecontact hole 713. In the contact hole 713, the source region 731 a isexposed. In succession, the sputtering method is used to form thealuminum film (not shown) having a thickness of 400 nm so as to coverthe first interlayer insulating film 708. Then, the aluminum film ispatterned by the photolithography technique and the etching technique soas to form a plurality of data lines 724. The data line 724 is alsoformed within the contact hole 713 and electrically connected to thesource region 731 a.

In succession, by using the CVD method, the silicon oxide film having athickness of 400 nm as the second interlayer insulating film 709 isformed so as to cover the data line 724 and the first interlayerinsulating film 708. Next, spin coating and heat curing are used to formthe flattening film 706 so as to cover the second interlayer insulatingfilm 709. After that, the photolithography technique and the etchingtechnique are used to selectively remove the flattening film 706, thesecond interlayer insulating film 709, the first interlayer insulatingfilm 708, the gate insulating film 705 and the silicon oxide film 704for forming the contact hole 714. In the contact hole 714, the drainregion 731 b is exposed. After that, the sputtering method is used toform the ITO film (not shown) having a thickness of 100 nm so as tocover the flattening film 706. The ITO film is patterned by thephotolithography technique and the etching technique so as to form aplurality of pixel electrodes 712. The pixel electrode 712 is alsoformed within the contact hole 714 and electrically connected to thedrain region 731 b. The TFT array substrate 770 of FIG. 11 is obtainedby the above-mentioned steps.

Next, by using the sputtering method, the light shielding film (notshown) is formed so as to cover a different transparent substrate 750.The transparent substrate is patterned by the photolithography techniqueand the etching technique so as to form a plurality of black matrixes751. Next, by using the sputtering method, the ITO film (not shown) isformed so as to cover different transparent substrate 750 and blackmatrix 751. Then, its ITO film is patterned by the photolithographytechnique and the etching technique so as to be a plurality of oppositeelectrodes 772. The opposite substrate 771 in FIG. 11 is obtained bythis step.

Then, the TFT array substrate 770 and the opposite substrate 771 arestacked to each other, and the liquid crystal 780 is filled in the gapbetween them. Consequently, the liquid crystal light valve 700 in FIG.11 is completed.

The method for suppressing the influence of the light on the thin filmtransistor will be described below in detail.

In FIG. 11, the light from a light source (not shown) is entered from anopening 772 a on the above side of the opposite substrate 771 in FIG.11. After that, the light is directed to the below side of the TFT arraysubstrate 770 in FIG. 11 and transmitted through an opening 772 b. Then,the light is projected onto a screen through an enlargement projectingoptical system (not shown). The light on the incident side (the side ofthe transparent substrate 750) is shielded by the data line 724 and theblack matrix 751 having the light shielding property, made of metallicthin film and the like. The non-transparent layer such as the layerconstituting the other metallic wiring layer and pixel accumulationcapacity may be used to configure the light shielding structure. On theother hand, the light (hereafter, also referred to as [Invasion Light])reflected by the member of the enlargement projecting optical system isinvaded from the outgoing side (the side of the transparent substrate701). This is shielded by the light shielding film 720 arranged in thelower layer of the thin film transistor. In FIG. 11, the light shieldingfilm 720 is the single layer film. However, depending on a case, it maybe combined by two layers or more, or may be provided with the layerwhere a different kind material is stacked.

Since the invasion light is entered via the complex system, adistribution of incident angles is broadened. In order to suppress theinvasion light from arriving at the thin film transistor, in particular,in order to shield the invasion light entered at a slant shallow angle,the following method is effective. The first method is to make the areaof the light shielding film 720 wider. The second method is to make thelight shielding film 720 closer to the polysilicon film 730. Thosemethods can decrease the range of incident angles, at which the lowersurface of the polysilicon film 730 is viewed from the gap between thelight shielding films 720, from the outgoing side. Consequently, it ispossible to suppress the invasion light from arriving at the thin filmtransistor.

However, making the area of the light shielding film 720 wider shieldsthe opening 772 b, which reduces the transmittance (aperture ratio) ofthe liquid crystal light valve 700. Thus, the first method has thelimit. Hence, the second method is applied for obtaining a better effectthan that of the first method, making the light shielding film 720closer to the polysilicon film 730.

The interval between the light shielding film 720 and the polysiliconfilm 730, namely, the thickness of the first base insulating film 721 isset to be about 1 μm or less in order to provide the above-mentionedeffect. In order to make the light shielding much effective, as noted inJapanese Laid Open Patent Application JP-A 2003-131261 (Japanese patentapplication No. 2002-226054), the thickness of the first base insulatingfilm 721 is preferable in the range from 500 nm to 1000 nm. Furtherpreferably, it is in the range from 150 nm to 300 nm.

Since the light shielding film 720 needs to shield the light, it isusually made of a conductive material. If the light shielding film 720is isolated in the insulating transparent substrate 701 and theinsulating first base insulating film 721, the electric potential of thelight shielding film 720 is not determined. For this reason, the element(not shown) to control the electric potential of the light shieldingfilm 720 is provided inside or outside the TFT array substrate 770. Theapplied electric potential may be constant. In this case, the potentialcontrol is easy. The applied electric potential may be the voltage thatis changed on the basis of the operation of the display. In this case,it can be operated in the safer and more stable manner.

However, if the light shielding film 720 is made closer to the lowersurface of the polysilicon film 730 in order to increase the lightshielding effect, the electric field caused by the electric potential ofthe light shielding film 720 influences the polysilicon film 730. Inthis case, the light shielding film 720 may carry out the action as apseudo-gate electrode, which possibly has influence on the operation ofthe thin film transistor. The low limit of the thickness of the firstbase insulating film 721 as mentioned above is mainly set because ofthis reason.

The liquid crystal light valve 700 was produced. Here, the first baseinsulating film 721 between the light shielding film 720 and thepolysilicon film 730 was made of the silicon oxide having a thickness of250 nm. The polysilicon film 730 was formed based on the method of thefirst embodiment. Then, when this liquid crystal light valve 700 wasoperated, a white point defect was induced. In this case, the operationof the liquid crystal is normally white, and the pixel to which thevoltage is applied is displayed black. The white point defect indicatesthat the voltage is not applied or the applied voltage is not held.

When the cause of the white point defect was researched, it was foundthat the brightness was changed depending on the voltage applied to thelight shielding film 720. Also, when the similar research was performedon the liquid crystal light valve 700 manufactured by changing theetching condition of the polysilicon film 730, there was the case thatthe white point defect was not induced depending on the voltage range ofthe light shielding film 720. It was found that the voltage range hadthe relation to the etching condition of the polysilicon film 730.However, as causes of the white point defect, in addition to the causetargeted here, a plurality of different causes may induce the whitepoint defect. However, if “white point defect” is described without anyspecial notification in this specification, it points out only the causewhere the brightness is changed depending on the potential applied tothe light shielding film 720.

The relation between the etching condition of the polysilicon film 730,the occurrence of the white point defect and the voltage applied to thelight shielding film 720 will be described below. FIG. 14 is a graphshowing the relation between the etching condition of the polysiliconfilm and the voltage applied to the light shielding film. The verticalaxis indicates the voltage (V_(SHIELD)) applied to the light shieldingfilm 720, and the horizontal axis indicates the sample names whoseetching conditions are different from each other.

The polysilicon film 730 is obtained by stacking the silicon oxide filmand the polysilicon film crystallized by the laser annealing method andthen etching them into the shape of an island through photo-resistpattern. Samples A-1, A-2 are manufactured by setting the gas flowamount ratio of CF₄ and O₂ of the etching gas to 100:100 in continuouslyetching the silicon oxide film and the polysilicon film. Samples B-1,B-2 are manufactured by setting the gas flow amount ratio of CF₄ and O₂to 115:85. The basic condition of the dry etching are set such that thetotal gas flow amount of CF₄ and O₂ is 200 sccm, the pressure is 20 Pa,and the introducing power density is 0.3 W/cm².

FIG. 14 shows the situation of the increase/decrease(occurrence/removal) of the white point defect when the voltageV_(SHIELD) of the light shielding film 720 is changed while the liquidcrystal light valve 700 is operated under a certain operation condition.Here, a solid triangle and a solid inverse triangle show the upper limitvoltage and the lower limit voltage respectively in the range of theV_(SHIELD) where the white point defect does not occur. A solid circleshows the voltage where the white point defect becomes minimum when thewhite point defect is not removed. As for the voltage at which the whitepoint defect does not become visible, the upper limits are approximatelyconstant in all of the samples. However, in the samples A-1, A-2, theallowable range exists in the very narrow range of 1V or less, or doesnot exist. In any case, it is found that this property is easilyinfluenced by the variation in the manufacturing process. On the otherhand, in the samples B-1, B-2, there is the allowable range of about 5V. It is found that this property is not easily influenced by thevariation in the manufacturing process. Moreover, although not shown inFIG. 14, it is found that there is the allowable range stably exceeding10V in a different sample manufactured under the condition that thetaper angle of the section is approximately 90°.

The relation between the etching condition of the polysilicon film 730and the taper angle of the section will be described below. FIG. 15 is agraph indicating the relation between the O₂ gas flow amount in etchingthe polysilicon film and the taper angle of the section. The verticalaxis indicates the taper angle, and the horizontal axis indicates the O₂gas flow amount.

The etching condition of the polysilicon film 730 is changed by changingthe gas flow amount ratio of CF₄ and O₂ of the etching gas in order tochange the taper angle (the angle between the substrate surface and thesidewall surface of the etched film) of the polysilicon film 730. Withreference to FIG. 15, in the typical example of the average taper angle,when the total gas pressure and the total gas flow amount of CF₄ and O₂were constant, the higher the ratio of the gas flow amount of O₂, thesmaller the taper angle (the tendency that the sidewall surface leans).On the contrary, the lower the ratio of the gas flow amount of O₂, thelarger the taper angle (the tendency that the sidewall stands up).However, to observe the shape of the polysilicon film 730 in detail,when the number of observation points was increased, it was found thatthere was the portion departing from the average shape. In particular,when the gas flow amount ratio of CF₄ and O₂ is set to 100:100, theshape of the small taper angle (ex. less than 40°) is found although thenumber is low. This tendency is as indicated by an error bar of FIG. 15.That is, by changing the gas flow amount ratio of CF₄ and O₂ from thesame amount 100:100 to the condition that the gas flow amount (ratio) ofO₂ is small, the number of which the portion having the small taperangle is generated is sharply reduced.

The taper angle of the polysilicon film 730 is distributed under somerange, depending on the position within the surface of the TFT arraysubstrate 770. The polysilicon film crystallized by the laser annealingmethod as used here typically has the relatively large convex andconcave portions on the surface. For this reason, the section shape(taper angle) is influenced by the position relation between theboundary of the pattern of the polysilicon film 730 and the convex andconcave portion, and even the position relation between the boundary ofthe pattern and the grain boundary of the polysilicon film. Moreover,there are also the shape change and variation which are caused by allconditional changes that can not be controlled. Thus, the local taperangle is formed under a certain range. Because of the shape irregularitycaused by the duplication of the above-mentioned conditions, when thegas flow amount ratio of CF₄ and O₂ is set to 100:100, the section shapehaving the small taper angle is generated in the substrate surfacealthough the number is low.

In the sample manufactured by setting the gas flow amount ratio of CF₄and O₂ of the etching gas to 100:100, the portion having the small taperangle of the section is generated although the number is low. Thus,because of the application voltage to the light shielding film 720, thewhite point defect is not removed, or the removal voltage range is verynarrow. On the other hand, in the sample manufactured by setting the gasflow amount ratio of CF₄ and O₂ of the etching gas to 115:85, the taperangle of the average section becomes large. In addition, the portionwhere the taper angle is less than 40° is not found. The voltage rangeat which the white point defect is removed is relatively wide. Also, thesample manufactured in the further vertical section shape has the widervoltage allowance range. From those experiment results, the cause of thewhite point defect does not lie in the portion having the average taperangle. The cause lies in the portion having the small taper angleexisting although the frequency is low in spite of the manufacturingunder the same condition.

Thus, if the light shielding film 720 is effectively placed under thepolysilicon film 730 constituting the thin film transistor, when thepolysilicon film 730 is processed to the shape of the island, the dryetching should be carried out under the following condition. That is,the basic conditions are:

Total gas flow amount of CF₄ and O₂:200 sccm

Gas pressure: 20 Pa

RF power density: 0.3 W/cm²

The silicon oxide film and the crystallized polysilicon film arecontinuously etched under the condition in which an O₂ gas flow amountratio of the etching gas is smaller than that of the mixture gas whosegas flow amount ratio of CF₄ and O₂ is 100:100. Consequently, theportion where the taper angle of the section is less than 40° can besubstantially removed. Thus, the application voltage, applied to thelight shielding film 720, can be controlled in the actually allowablerange in which the occurrence of the white point defect can besuppressed.

Preferably, the gas flow amount ratio of CF₄ and O₂ should be set in therange from 110:90 to 120:80. Also, further preferably, the flow amountratio of CF₄ and O₂ should be set to approximately 115:85. Consequently,the taper angle of the section of the polysilicon film 730 belongs tothe range from about 40° and 60°. Thus, the preferable section shape canbe obtained from the viewpoints of the coverage improvement and wiringdisconnection protection of the gate line 707.

Incidentally, the white point defect as described here implies the modewhere the brightness is changed depending on the application voltage tothe light shielding film 720.

As mentioned above, the application of the method for forming thepattern of the stacked film in the present invention enables the taperangle of the section of the polysilicon film 730 to be controlled in therange from about 40° and 60°, in the structure having the lightshielding film 720 in the lower layer of the polysilicon film 730. Thus,the gate line 707 crossing over the polysilicon film 730 can be formedin the excellent coverage. Consequently, it is possible to protect thewiring disconnection at the stepped portion caused by the polysiliconfilm 730 of the gate line 707. Moreover, the portion where the taperangle of the section of the polysilicon film 730 is less than 40° isremoved, which enables the suppression in the occurrence of the whitepoint defect that is caused by the voltage applied to the lightshielding film 720.

As mentioned above, the method for forming the pattern of the stackedfilm in the present invention, after depositing the first oxide film,the semiconductor film and the second oxide film in turn on thesubstrate and laser-annealing the semiconductor film, forms the resistpattern on the second oxide film, uses this as the mask, and dry-etchesthe second oxide film and the semiconductor film, and then forms thepattern of the stacked film composed of the semiconductor film and thesecond oxide film. At this time, as the dry etching gas for the secondoxide film and semiconductor film, the fluorine-based gas is used. Atthe time of the exposure of the first oxide film, the etching gas isswitched from the fluorine-based gas to the chlorine-based gas. Here,the mixed gas of CF₄ and O₂ is preferably used as the fluorine gas.Preferably, the dry etching is carried out under the assumption that thegas flow amount ratio of CF₄ and O₂ is 1:1. Consequently, the taperangle of the second oxide film of the pattern of the stacked film can bemade larger than the taper angle of the semiconductor film. Then, thetaper angle of the second oxide film can be controlled to 45°<θ<60°, andthe taper angle of the semiconductor film can be controlled to10°<γ<60°. Thus, it is possible to protect the step cut of the wiringthat crosses over this stacked film pattern.

Also, in the thin film transistor of the structure having the lightshielding film in the lower layer of the island, with regard to thefluorine-based gas as the main dry etching gas used to form the patternof the stacked film, the gas flow amount ratio of CF₄ and O₂ is designedsuch that CF₄ is larger than 1:1. Executing the dry etching under suchcondition can suppress the generation of the portion where the taperangle of the semiconductor film of the pattern of the stacked film isthe small angle. Further preferably, the gas flow amount ratio of CF₄and O₂ is set in the range from 110:90 to 120:80. Further preferably,the gas flow amount ratio of CF₄ and O₂ is set to approximately 115:85.Consequently, it is possible to substantially remove the generation ofthe portion where the taper angle of the semiconductor film is less than40°, and the taper angle of the semiconductor film can be formed in therange from 40° to 60°. Consequently, it is possible to protect thewiring disconnection of the gate line that crosses over this. Inaddition, it is possible to suppress the influence on the operation ofthe thin film transistor that results from the potential of the lightshielding film. Thus, when the thin film transistor manufactured by themethod of the present invention is applied to the displaying device, theproblems of the abnormal operation, the displaying defect and the likecan be greatly reduced. Hence, the passed product rate and thereliability can be improved, and the cost can be reduced.

1. A stacked film for a thin film transistor, said stacked filmcomprising: a semiconductor film which is formed on a base insulatingfilm and includes a taper angle in the range from 40° to 60°; and afirst oxide film which is formed on said semiconductor film wherein saidbase insulating film is formed on a transparent substrate and includes apatterned light shielding film, said semiconductor film is formed abovesaid patterned light shielding film.
 2. A thin film transistorcomprising: a base insulating film which is formed on a transparentsubstrate and includes a patterned light shielding film; and a stackedfilm which is formed on said base insulating film, wherein said stackedfilm includes: a semiconductor film which is formed on a base insulatingfilm above said patterned light shielding film and includes a taperangle in the range from 40° to 60°; and a first oxide film which isformed on said semiconductor film.